More than 350 buildings on campus are connected to and controlled by a building automation system, which uses a secure computer network to centralize the remote monitoring and control of electricity, lighting, plumbing, ventilation, air conditioning and other environmental systems. Many Penn State campuses across the state, including Harrisburg, Altoona and Erie, The Behrend College, also use digital automation systems for managing building settings.

There is broad public support among Pennsylvania residents for increased renewable-energy generation, according to a study recently conducted by researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

From 4 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 21, Penn State will again test the University Park campus' capability to reduce its electricity load when called upon during national or regional power emergencies. Last year's test reduced the power load by 20,000 kilowatts -- 1.5 times the electricity demand of all the homes in Bellefonte -- but the high temperature was 10 degrees lower. Thursday's heat may mean this "test" is a real event. University Park occupants are asked to limit all unnecessary electrical consumption under individual control.

The unseasonably warm weather has put a strain on the region's electrical grid. There is a possibility of a mandatory reduction in electricity use will be issued. If that happens, Penn State will be given a two-hour window in which to comply with the required reduction. To avoid mandatory cutbacks, everyone should reduce their electrical use immediately and continue to conserve electricity through Friday night.

University rates for electricity have doubled in the past year and Penn State now pays $24 million per year to power University Park. The University is asking all students and employees to help conserve resources over Thanksgiving break.

New research by a science team that includes a Penn State associate professor of mathematics has produced the surprising revelation that electrical fields can prevent liquid droplets from merging. The discovery is surprising because conventional scientific wisdom has held the opposite -- that an electrical field would enhance the merging of liquid droplets. The research could lead to improved applications in diverse fields including petroleum purification, food-oil processing and biodiesel production. It also could increase our understanding of the atmospheric high-voltages that are generated in thunderstorms. The journal Nature published the research on Sept. 16. High-resolution videos and images are on the Web at http://www.science.psu.edu/alert/Belmonte-2009.htm online.

Energy costs are on people's minds at Penn State. The University spends about $2 million per month for electrical services at University Park alone. As classes start and winter approaches, energy use naturally goes up. Combine that fact with the expectation of increasing fuel prices and it doesn't take long to see why this issue is a priority. Mobile journalist Britany Gallagher looks at some of the ideas and plans Penn State's Office of Physical Plant has come up with to guide employees and students toward conserving resources.

Last week, employees and students across Penn State's University Park campus were asked to simultaneously turn off all unnecessary electrical devices for one hour as a part of a regional electricity load reduction test. The test was a success -- the Office of Physical Plant (OPP) recorded an average reduction in electricity usage of 10 percent (3,700 kw). The success was attributed to the many employees and students who cooperated by turning off unnecessary equipment and to OPP workers who made system-wide adjustments behind the scenes. The peak reduction for the hour was an impressive 15 percent (5000 kw) at 4 p.m.

Farmers should not be paying Pennsylvania sales tax on electricity, according to an energy expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. However, some are, noted Dennis Buffington, professor of agricultural engineering. "While visiting farms over the past few months, I was surprised to see that a number of producers were being charged the full 6 percent of sales tax on their electricity bills," he said. "The bills were for farmers who are on commercial rates (as opposed to residential rates) for their dairy farms and poultry farms."

According to a report released by the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), gaming consoles, which populate nearly 40 percent of U.S. households, consume about $1.6 billion worth of energy annually -- an amount equal to the annual energy consumption of San Diego. The NRDC report encourages gaming console owners to set their systems to an automatic "sleep" function. According to the report, using these energy conserving, power-management features could save about 11 billion kWh of electricity a year, cut the nation's electricity costs by more than $1 billion a year, and avoid more than 7 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year.